Celebrating Our Physicians on National Doctors’ Day

National Doctors’ Day is a lot of things. It’s a celebration of those who have sacrificed more than most of us probably realize to help make us healthier, stronger and less afraid of living life to the fullest. It’s a reminder that we have someone close by that has put in the hours, to sometimes miss family engagements and has worked through countless nights for no other reason than to help make us all better again. Perhaps most importantly, it’s an opportunity to say “Thanks.”

National Doctors’ Day is a lot of things, but it’s not about praising physicians for accomplishing the miraculous. It’s about showing our appreciation for their day-to-day. It’s about offering a small gesture that can send ripples through a community dedicated to helping others. So on this National Doctors’ Day, send a simple card to show your appreciation, or give a heartfelt “Thank you for doing what you do” to the doctor(s) in your life. Learn more about National Doctors’ Day, and let us know how you plan to celebrate this year!

This year DaVita Stories is celebrating National Doctors’ Day by sharing photos of some of our doctors from medical school or their residency programs and some insight into why they became physicians and their favorite part of caring for patients. Check it out below.

“I became a physician because I had great role models who showed me the exciting, challenging, rewarding aspects of caring for patients with complex chronic illness but whose lives could be dramatically improved.” – Allen R. Nissenson, MD, chief medical officer, DaVita Kidney Care

“One of my fondest memories from medical school is when we moved from classroom medicine to clinical rotations at the start of our third year. This is the moment when all the textbooks and notes started to take form, and began to have real meaning in the lives of the people we touched. The surgical rotations lent a wonderful opportunity to see patients burdened with illness gaining hope and optimism after successful operations, whereas the medical rotations allowed us to fine-tune problem solving processes as we worked to diagnose issues and develop treatment plans. Also unforgettable were welcoming the miracles of child birth in OB, building up our immunities through the endless runny noses in Pediatrics, and experiencing the range of emotions in Psych. Those were the memorable days when we were granted the privileges to don our short white coats and begin to shape our journey for years to come.” – Chan Chuang, MD, chief clinical officer, DaVita Medical Group

“Caring for ESRD patients is not like any other patient care. Because we get to see and interact with this cohort of patients so closely, it is easy to build strong bonds. That can make for very hard times emotionally when a patient passes away, but it can also make the celebration that much more glorious when a patient gets a renal transplant.” – Jeffrey Giullian, MD, vice president, DaVita Medical Affairs, DaVita Kidney Care

“My favorite thing about caring for patients is the ability to innovate and find better ways to care for patients and improve their quality of life.” – Stephen McMurray, MD, vice president of integrated care management services, DaVita Kidney Care

“I grew up in a village in rural Arizona. My father was the town minister, my mother was a teacher. Conversations at the dinner table were about the people in our very small town and about the health of the community. The town had no physician. I imagined, as I contemplated medical school, that I would return after training and set up practice as a small-town practitioner. But the town grew while I was gone, the community as I knew it dissolved, and townspeople had all the doctors they needed. I, meanwhile, found great satisfaction in science, in teaching, and in caring for patients with chronic kidney disease. Life surprises.” – David B. Van Wyck, MD, vice president of clinical support services, DaVita Kidney Care

“I am passionate about improving the lives of patients by creating value-based healthcare that can lead to superior clinical outcomes.” – Bryan Becker, MD, vice president of integrated care, DaVita Kidney Care

“I became a doctor to help people maintain their health and quality of life.” – Mahesh Krishnan, MD, international chief medical officer and vice president of research and development, DaVita Kidney Care

“My greatest satisfaction in life is to help my patients feel healthy and happy.” – Sofy Sendoya, MD, DaVita Medical Group

“My favorite memory from residency and fellowship is the shared camaraderie with my colleagues. I was lucky enough to work with a group of very talented and caring physicians who, when at their best, provided very high levels of care for complex patients in inner-city Baltimore. So many specific cases, so many specific relationships it’s hard to pick just one but the overall feeling of a very rewarding and educational five years (residency and fellowship) that set the stage for so much of my medical career.” – Adam Weinstein, MD vice president, medical affairs, DaVita Kidney Care

“Our senior patients have rich lives, sometimes in the past and also in the present. One time I was rounding in the hospital on a patient in her 90s. I found her sitting cross-legged in a forward bend on the floor. I panicked, thinking she had passed out. No, she was just doing a yoga stretch!” – Linda Ayoama, MD, DaVita Medical Group

“My favorite thing about caring for patients at DaVita is I know the team that cares for my patients are compassionate when caring for my patients, and are passionate about what they are doing.” – Robert Merrell, MD, vice president of clinical risk support, DaVita Kidney Care

“I love it when I bump into patients at Costco occasionally. They would introduce me to their family member whom I haven’t met with so much gusto, pride, and surprise. Moments like that makes you feel fulfillment of your job.”- George Hong MD, national medical director, DaVita Medical Group

“I became a physician because it was the perfect combination of my love of science and of caring for/interacting with people.” – Judith Ford, MD, DaVita Medical Group

Gabe Prusak

Gabe is a Senior Content Writer for Physician Experience at DaVita and lives in downtown Denver. He’s just your typical engineer-turned-healthcare-writer who enjoys coffee shop loitering in his free time.